He Already Knew That
by mimikaito52
Summary: When she wakes up, she'll find everybody smiling again, even the one she loves. Based off recent FT chapters.


**Tumblr with its posts of well-coloured images of Juvia suffering, darn it . Also, congratulations to GaLevy for their lip-on-lip shipping fuel that will probably help you guys reach the sacred Canonland. Even though my heart weeps for Juvia being doubly poisoned, of all the ships you guys deserved the attention. Also, Gajeel my man, you art the ultimate bro...yo. Also my first attempt at writing anything close to serious :D**

She's on the floor, head tilted into Lucy's lap and completely unconscious. What little of her shredded clothes left on her bruised arms and body are stained burgundy with blood; the same blood trickling out of the side of her mouth.

Gray doesn't immediately ask what happened to her, because for a few moments, all he can do is stare in shock. The person who had been nervous this entire time. The person that confessed her unease at battling Tartaros. The same person Gray promised he was here with.

That same person was right here, in front of his eyes, and he hadn't been able to do a goddamned thing to protect her.

"She said she wanted to see you," with a strangled voice, Lucy was biting back her own unshed tears.

"What happened?" That's all he needs to know. Because if that son of a bitch was still alive after what they had done to her, he was going to make them pay _dearly_. "Who did this to her?"

There was an odd silence after that question. Lucy lowered her gaze. Natsu glared at his feet. Levy was just as confused as the ice mage and rubbing her shoulders to restore heat to her soaked, small frame. Gajeel was the only one who seemed unperturbed by it all.

Finally, after Gajeel delivering a meaningful glare to the other Dragon Slayer and Celestial mage, Lucy blurted, "Keith."

_Keith. The Necromancer?_

Gray's mind pieced together the information before his eyes. He widened his eyes in surprise.

"She was poisoned," Gajeel provided. "We were all poisoned by some water at one point in time, but we managed to figure out a way somehow. As for her," the Iron Dragon Slayer chanced a glance at Juvia Loxar, "don't know a solution yet."

His fingers curled into fists. This was always so frustrating. Not being able to be there when he really needed to be. Maybe if he had been around things would have been different. Maybe if he'd done something differently, the outcome wouldn't have been so grim. He wouldn't have to look down at another important face suffering because of him.

"We have to go find the rest of the guild members," Natsu affirmed. "Wendy might be with them. She could help Juvia until we get a chance to see Porlyusica."

"Gray?" Lucy queried in a small voice. Even Natsu paused in his thoughts to get a glimpse of Gray's face.

"You didn't have to go this far," he gritted his teeth. Gray had gone out of his way to not forget the importance of life, only to come back to see he had indirectly ended another. What kind of messed up logic was that?

His entire body convulsed with emotions, ranging from anger, to frustration then back to sadness that vaulted heavily up and down his throat, forcing an inflamed, painful itch to form. Because even if she did live, there was no guarantee she would be the same Juvia Loxar he knew.

The idea that she could be corrupted horrified him. Thinking about Juvia…and her 'Gray-sama', her Juvi-bread, her body pillow…the scarf tucked neatly in his headboard drawer. The same Juvia Loxar that had kicked a Tartaros mook out of his way earlier that day may never walk again. The same woman who he fought on the rooftop in the rain might never see the sun again.

Even though she claimed she loved him, Gray couldn't quite see anything to love about himself if he had done this to her.

"For my sake…you shouldn't have—"

"Oi, Ice Boy," Gajeel grunted. "You're a rude asshole, you know that?"

"Gajeel—" Levy started.

"_What?_" the tattoo on Gray's forearm glowed.

"Where the hell did you get that?" Natsu demanded. "It looks cool! It shouldn't be on somebody as lame as you, Gray."

"Not now, Natsu. You can be jealous later," Lucy provided with a nervous smile.

"I'm saying you're an asshole," Gajeel continued confidently. "Look at 'er. She fought tooth and nail for your ungrateful little ass and went inside a pile of dirty, poisoned sand,"—Gajeel and Natsu shivered at the memory—"yelling something about the power of love. Rain Woman over there fought to protect you and that ugly smile of yours and you're gonna smear shit all over her actions by letting her wake up to you looking like a wreck?"

Levy blinked in astonishment.

"If I were you, I'd fix that face before I fix it for you. I sure as hell ain't gonna let Juvia wake up to see everybody crying around her, making her feel like she's the one at fault for saving us all from Face."

Lucy nodded silently.

"Rusty Face over there has a point," Natsu conceded, turning towards Gray.

"Screw you! I'm made of iron, I can't help what I look like after the fight I just had!"

"Above all else, Juvia is our _nakama. _After what she's done for us, she deserves to wake up to grateful faces," The Fire Dragon Slayer folded his arms.

"Heeh, Gajeel," Levy teasingly placed a hand above her upturned lips. "Surprisingly romantic~"

"That's not what I meant, dammit," Gajeel grumbled.

Gray crouched in front of the water mage tentatively. Without even putting any thought into the gesture, he reached out and flicked a lock of blue hair out of Juvia's face. It was strange how somebody who was always so excited could have such a serene, peaceful sleeping face. His furrowed eyebrows couldn't relax though as the back of his hand gently rubbed the line of red smearing the corner of her mouth.

Her eyelids fluttered.

"Gray," Lucy cautioned, shifting her legs beneath Juvia. "Your expression. It's too serious."

"Everybody, make sure to give the widest grin you can when she wakes up," Natsu encouraged, lowering his upper body so that his face was at the same height as Gray's conflicted one.

"Gajeel,"Levy observed his slasher smile with mild apprehension, "you'll scare her with that face."

_She's a good woman, son._

Gray's attention sharpened. Even without looking around he could tell the voice was not nearby. Or corporeal, for that matter.

Juvia' scrunched up her face in anguish. Her mouth parted, taking in a shaky breath of air.

The water mage coughed.

_Treasure her. Treasure all your friends in Fairy Tail._

Juvia Loxar struggled to keep her heavily lashed lids open. Her eyes swam in and out of a kaleidoscopic focus until finally, she could make out one face in the crowd.

_His_ face.

Juvia was expecting a look of fury, or resentment. She had even attempted to dash her hopes of a relieved expression but had failed. None of those words described his gaze. A look softer than melted snow in the palm of her hand. A smile more comforting than a hand on her shoulder in times of trouble and brighter than any sun she had ever seen. Underneath all of his cuts, all of his bruises was a man who was staring at her as if she was his world.

She'd never witnessed him make that face before and she definitely wanted to see more of it. Juvia hoped she'd be able to make him smile the way he was now. Smiling like everything was going to be okay, now and for aeons to come.

"G-Gray-sama?" Juvia sat up, seeing the circle of friends with smiling faces—save for Gajeel who had his trademark sour frown.

His hand was still on the corner of her trembling lips, so he decided to raise his palm to her cheek.

"Ju-" she couldn't get her name out fast enough. Already she had tilted her chin upwards, trying to ebb the flow of hot tears streaming down her face. She choked on her words. "J—Juvia is so sorry. Please forgive her. She's sorry. She's sorry.…Gray-sama, I'm sorry," she hiccupped, biting her lip.

Treasure her and his friends, huh?

His old man didn't know a damned thing.

"I know that already," he replied softly, both to her and to Silver's parting instructions.

Loxar's eyes glazed over in a thick layer of tears. Closing them, she opened her mouth in a heart wrenching wail, keeping Gray's palm to her cheek with both of her damaged, wounded hands.

"Aww, shit! Look Fullbuster, you made her cry!" Gajeel shouted.

"I think it's better that she cries," Levy piped up. "She needs to get it out of her system. See?" Levy indicated, with evident relief.

The water mage clamped her fingers over Gray's hand beneath the rivulets of hair falling into her water logged face. However, it was clear to everybody that her whimpers were ones of gratitude, and her quivering lips formed a small reassured smile.

"In the very end, Juvia always smiles the brightest, doesn't she?"

***cries because this would never happen***


End file.
